Chapter 3 - The Escape
Evelyn scrambled backward through the ventilation shaft as fast as she could.
Dust choked her lungs, but sheer adrenaline pushed her forward.
She heard the heavy boots of her father's security team thundering down the hallways below.
She crawled toward the servant’s quarters, the only section of the estate with exterior windows that weren't bulletproof.
She kicked the vent grate out and dropped into the dark laundry room.
Her knees buckled as she hit the floor, but she instantly forced herself up.
Protect the baby.
That was the only thought echoing in her mind.
She grabbed a heavy iron from the shelf and smashed it against the window lock.
The latch broke with a sharp snap.
She pushed the window open and climbed out into the freezing, torrential rain.
The estate grounds were massive, spanning over fifty acres of dense forest.
Floodlights suddenly flared to life, sweeping across the manicured lawns like prison searchlights.
Dogs began to bark in the distance.
Evelyn ran toward the tree line, her cream blazer instantly soaked with cold rain and mud.
She slipped on the wet grass, tearing her pants and scraping her hands, but she didn't stop.
She reached the edge of the woods just as a patrol vehicle sped past on the gravel driveway.
She dove behind a massive oak tree, holding her breath.
The guards didn't see her.
She pulled her burner phone from her pocket and dialed Caleb.
“I’m out of the house,” she gasped, her teeth chattering violently.
“I’m heading toward the old hunting cabin on the north ridge.”
“I’m tracking your GPS signal now,” Caleb replied, his voice tense.
“Evie, they just deployed the tactical dogs.”
“You have less than ten minutes before they catch your scent.”
“I’m sending a helicopter to the ridge.”
“Run.”
Evelyn ran.
She tore through the dense underbrush, thorns ripping at her clothes and skin.
The sound of the dogs grew louder, echoing terrifyingly through the dark forest.
Her lungs burned with every breath, and the cold was beginning to numb her limbs.
She could see the silhouette of the old hunting cabin ahead.
Just a hundred more yards.
Suddenly, a massive spotlight hit her squarely in the back.
“Stop right there!” a voice boomed over a loudspeaker.
A black SUV tore through the trees, skidding to a halt directly in her path.
The doors opened, and four armed guards stepped out.
Owen Price stepped out of the passenger side, holding a suppressed handgun.
“It’s over, Evelyn,” Owen said coldly.
“Your father said you were a liability.”
“He was right.”
He raised the gun, aiming directly at her stomach.
Before Owen could pull the trigger, the deafening roar of a heavy machine gun shattered the night.
The windshield of the SUV exploded inward.
Owen screamed and dove for cover as a black tactical helicopter descended rapidly from the sky.
A sniper hanging from the side of the chopper laid down suppressive fire, forcing the guards to retreat into the woods.
A rope ladder dropped from the open cabin door.
“Climb!” Caleb’s voice roared from the helicopter.
Evelyn didn't hesitate.
She lunged for the ladder, grabbing the rough rope with bleeding hands.
She pulled herself up as the helicopter banked hard, flying away into the stormy night.
She collapsed onto the metal floor of the cabin, gasping for air.
Caleb knelt beside her, pulling a heavy thermal blanket over her shivering body.
“You’re safe now,” he promised.
Evelyn looked up at him, her eyes completely devoid of the warmth she had once possessed.
“No, Caleb,” she whispered fiercely.
May you like
“I am going to destroy them.”
“All of them.”
